Black activists warn Biden against selecting Amy Klobuchar as running mate

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden should not select Sen. Amy Klobuchar as his vice presidential running mate according to some black and Latino activists and strategists.

The Minnesota Democrat would "risk losing the very base the Democrats need to win," said Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, according to Politico.

"It comes from her performance in the primary — her weakness in being able to motivate them," BlackPAC executive director Adrianne Shropshire said. “The engagement and the enthusiasm of black voters is going to be a difference-maker in this election, and the concerns about her in this role stem from the degree to which she resonated or not with those core constituencies.”

Klobuchar only secured one percent of the black vote during the South Carolina primary and four percent of the Latino vote in the Nevada primary.

Biden, who has pledged to select a female running mate, has indicated that several black women are included within his potential picks.

"A choice such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), who failed to prosecute controversial police killings and is responsible for the imprisonment of Myon Burrell, will only alienate black voters," according to an opinion piece that also called for Biden to select a black female running mate.

Some people, like Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, believe Klobuchar could help the Biden ticket. 

"I think she could help put the upper Midwest in play, and that's an invaluable asset," he said. He noted "there are a lot of black people" in the Midwest in areas such as Detroit and Milwaukee, and those voters will be important to securing victory in their states.

"I think the base is going to be excited enough because, before, Trump was an idea, now Trump is the reality," Ellison said.

The former vice president recently came under fire for saying, "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." He later apologized for the comment.